Chapter 3: [Yes or No.]

The speed at which he used to abandon Trisha was very surprising to her as soon she found it difficult to believe basically because he had just asked a question and hadn't gotten the answer. On the other hand, she liked the fact that he left without waiting for a response because she really did not know what to say to him was her reason for warning him.

While she froze staring at the direction which Stan had taken, the door was broken and her colleagues barged in about seven of them, led by a staff.

“Trisha! What are you doing here?” one of them by the name Atkinson exclaimed.

He was one of the best in all aspects as his parents were very wealthy and so he was augmented so much that he could serve in any unit at all. He was top amongst the students and hated Stan with so much passion that the moment he heard that Stan should be hunted down he was so excited and eager to participate in the hunt.

“Trisha, where is he?” master Sullivan asked her even though he knew that Trisha wasn’t amongst those assigned to him to join in the hunt.

Master Sullivan Nathan was the junior staff in charge of training those with the interest of going into the military. His implant boasted his strength, speed, stamina and they improved his combat skill and technique.

“I don’t know.” Trisha stuttered with fear for the first time in her life and this was because Lisa Perry was there.

Lisa Perry was the only female in their midst and they had brought her along because of her ability to track something or someone. Hers seemed to be more of a gift than the work of her implant but that was only because she had trained herself to make it look that way. She was implanted with a very rare chip which has given her that ability.

After the lie which she told, Sullivan turned to Lisa with an unusual look because she was the one who had led them there.

Lisa did not want to expose Trisha at this point because they were good friends so she was finding it difficult to speak out but with the look on Sullivan’s face, she had to pick sides. “She told him we were coming. She has licked our plan to him now and it would be quite difficult for us to get him.”

After Lisa’s words, they all turned to Trisha in disappointment; none of them ever believed she was going to do something like that.

“Bind her.” Sullivan instructed as he moved towards the back door which Stan Gibson passed.

“Please….” Trisha begged as she took some steps backwards, she knew what her fate was going to be if she was taken back to the school. So tears filled her eyes as she looked into the eyes of her colleagues, who were going to carry out the instruction of Master Sullivan.

“I’m sorry, Trisha,” Lisa said as she could not move.

None of them were making any move as they knew the consequences of her action and being someone who was friendly to everybody, carrying out the command was difficult for them.

“Atkinson,” she called his name because he was the only one who Sullivan could listen to at that moment.

At the moment she called his name that was the same minute he made the move to execute the instruction given to them. Making the first move, Ling Tingzhe and Jerald Burns followed.

As they drew near, Trisha moved backwards and got close to a window. She looked back a little to take a quick view which would determine her next action. Instantly at that, she jumped over and off she went.

Her move was unpredicted, she took them by surprise in a manner which none of them could follow immediately.

This was when Sullivan turned around again only to see that they were all standing still and Trisha was not there nor bound as he had commanded them. In anger he asked. “Where is she?!”

They could perceive the anger in his tone so none of them had the courage to answer him; they were all silent as if they had lost their ability to speak.

“Am I talking to myself? Or have you all suddenly gone dumb? I ask again, Where is Trisha?!” his anger was rising drastically.

“She….. She jumped.” Ling TIngzhe stammered. He is Asian, China in particular as that is the home country of his parents though he was born and brought up there in the US.

“She jumped… and you are still here telling me she jumped.” Sullivan said as he hastened his footstep towards him. It was obvious he was going to pour out his anger on Ling at this time.

Since Ling was not the only one deserving punishment from Sullivan, the other six students came in between and chorused, “Master, punish us.”

Their action caused Sullivan to freeze all of a sudden. He had never seen such action displaced by his students before all through his fifteen years in the school. He stopped not because he could not punish all seven of them at once, rather it was because he did not know what he would tell his superiors was their offense that would justify any action he takes.

It took him some time before he uttered his next words, “I will only spare you this once, the next time you disobey my command you won’t be forgiven. Nevertheless, Trisha has to be caught.”

“Thank you sir.” They chorused.

“Keep your thanks to yourselves and find them.” Sullivan shouted. He was still angry that they lost both Stan and Trisha and by saying ‘them’ he was referring to both Stan Gibson and Trisha Graham.

*****

It is nine in the evening and Stan Gibson is back to the street where he was beaten to the point of death. It took him some time to get to the exact spot because he did not leave there with his full consciousness. He had left under the influence and control of Adoth and so he was back again with the help of the same Adoth.

Luckily for him, his belongings were still there as no one had any use for them else it would have been picked by whosoever needed them. Well he was back mainly to get the picture of his parents but since other items were still there, he had to take too.

Moving to a corner where he changed from the bloodstained clothes into a different one, he heard noises coming from behind which drew his attention as one of the voices sounded familiar.

When he looked, lo it was one of the men that had attacked him, instantly his mind went to what they said ‘he is one of them’ and as once he became eager to know what they meant, why they wanted him dead and also get back at them for trying to kill him.

Well all these thoughts and desires could only stay in his heart because he can’t stand a chance against any of them.

[Does the host want revenge?]

“You are still in my head! I thought I told you to leave?” Stan was surprised to hear from Adoth again. He wasn’t expecting it to still be in him after he told it that he would not be able to save the world which it has chosen him for.

[Your answer should be ‘yes’ or ‘no’.]

Stan paused, he was still very surprised at the whole thing but somehow he was beginning to like Adoth so he did not when he said. “Yes. But I can’t …..”

[Ten blocks away, he will be alone for fifteen minutes, which is your chance, utilize it.]

“Wow!” he was still surprised. But he had come to start building trust in it after it helped him escape from the hands of his colleagues even though he got external help from Trisha.

Since Adoth was clear to him about that being his only chance, he had to take it by making the move to wait for the man at the exact place where he was told the man would be in the next few minutes.